European Player of the Year Kaka remains hungry for more silverware after inspiring AC Milan to FIFA Club World Cup glory with a 4-2 win over Boca Juniors in Sunday's final.
Milan defeated the Argentinian outfit 4-2 at Yokohama International Stadium on Sunday evening, with 25-year-old Brazilian Kaka scoring one and setting up two in a virtuoso performance.
The victory saw the Rossoneri avenge their 2003 Intercontinental Cup loss against Boca, when the Copa Libertadores winners took the title with a win on penalties.
"The first half was difficult but it got easier after we went 2-1 up in the second half," said Kaka, who is expected to win the FIFA World Player of the Year award on Monday.
"I'm very happy to have won this title - 2003 was 2003, this tournament stands on its own.
"Now that we have won, we can move on to the next phase and think about the next task. Hopefully we can sustain our form and try to win another title."
Milan's triumph capped a demanding 18 months for the club, which began with the match-fixing scandal that rocked Italian football in the summer of 2006 and saw the club docked 30 points and demoted from second to third in the previous season's Serie A standings.
As a result, Milan were forced to play in the third qualifying round of the Champions League against Red Star Belgrade, who they defeated before going on to beat Liverpool 2-1 in the final in Athens in May.
"It's unbelievable that in one and a half years we have won every trophy," said midfielder Gennaro Gattuso.
"I remember on July 26, everybody was on holiday and (Milan vice-president Adriano) Galliani called me on my mobile and said that everyone was meeting at Marinello for training.
"In seven days we were playing in Belgrade. It was hard but now we can enjoy it.
"I'm very happy. Tonight AC Milan is the best club in the world and it's fantastic for the club and the players because we need this for the group. We're very happy."
Midfielder Clarence Seedorf hailed Milan's win and the determination shown by the team over the last 18 months.
"Now it means we are the first in the world and for AC Milan it's fantastic," said the Dutchman. "It was a very, very hard year and a half for us to reach the finals. It's a long way and we were capable of bringing it home and we are very, very happy.
"Milan have come a long way, from playing in the preliminaries and winning the Champions League. That was already an incredible job and coming here is just finishing what we had started."
The victory saw the Rossoneri avenge their 2003 Intercontinental Cup loss against Boca, when the Copa Libertadores winners took the title with a win on penalties.
"The first half was difficult but it got easier after we went 2-1 up in the second half," said Kaka, who is expected to win the FIFA World Player of the Year award on Monday.
"I'm very happy to have won this title - 2003 was 2003, this tournament stands on its own.
"Now that we have won, we can move on to the next phase and think about the next task. Hopefully we can sustain our form and try to win another title."
Milan's triumph capped a demanding 18 months for the club, which began with the match-fixing scandal that rocked Italian football in the summer of 2006 and saw the club docked 30 points and demoted from second to third in the previous season's Serie A standings.
As a result, Milan were forced to play in the third qualifying round of the Champions League against Red Star Belgrade, who they defeated before going on to beat Liverpool 2-1 in the final in Athens in May.
"It's unbelievable that in one and a half years we have won every trophy," said midfielder Gennaro Gattuso.
"I remember on July 26, everybody was on holiday and (Milan vice-president Adriano) Galliani called me on my mobile and said that everyone was meeting at Marinello for training.
"In seven days we were playing in Belgrade. It was hard but now we can enjoy it.
"I'm very happy. Tonight AC Milan is the best club in the world and it's fantastic for the club and the players because we need this for the group. We're very happy."
Midfielder Clarence Seedorf hailed Milan's win and the determination shown by the team over the last 18 months.
"Now it means we are the first in the world and for AC Milan it's fantastic," said the Dutchman. "It was a very, very hard year and a half for us to reach the finals. It's a long way and we were capable of bringing it home and we are very, very happy.
"Milan have come a long way, from playing in the preliminaries and winning the Champions League. That was already an incredible job and coming here is just finishing what we had started."
Copyright (c) Press Association
Related Articles
Watch! Ref stops game to book Kaka and grab a selfie
Keisuke Honda retires from international football
